1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and method of drying crops and is more particularly concerned with an apparatus for curing or drying tobacco, corn, peanuts, soy beans and other small grain by the circulation of heated air through the crops and the method carried out thereby.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past numerous tobacco barns have been developed which use an open flame for the curing of the tobacco leaves. Such stationary tobacco barns which employ open flames, provide a fire hazard since leaves may fall onto the flames and cause the tobacco leaves, themselves to catch fire and set the entire barn on fire. More recently the bulk curing of tobacco has come into wide practice. In the bulk curing of tobacco, the tobacco is clamped between cross bars of tobacco racks and then suspended in a barn so that the heated air is circulated up through the tobacco leaves from a heater. The barns are stationary members in which large quantities of tobacco are stored for curing.
Usually the barns, which are employed for curing the tobacco, are not used for any other purpose and are not suitable for use in the curing of other crops. Some attempts have been made to provide a portable barn for the curing of tobacco. U.S. Pat. No. 3,147,033 illustrates such a device.
Numerous patents such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,154,335 illustrate the suspending of tobacco leaves in racks. The patents to Hasler U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,105,713 and 3,110,326 as well as the patents to Wilson U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,134,583 and 3,244,445 illustrate the bulk curing of tobacco in tobacco barns wherein the tobacco is suspended by racks.
Heretofore, to the best of my knowledge, no portable bulk curing barn for tobacco has been devised and no such bulk curing device has been devised which utilizes a single heater for curing a plurality of barns filled with tobacco and other crops simultaneously, Furthermore, to the best of my knowledge, no portable barn has been devised which is capable of bulk curing tobacco as well as bulk drying peanuts, corn, soy beans and other small grains.